Put your own spin the world's most enduring stories

The public domain is a rich archive of creative work available for reuse and reinvention. 


You're in the right place if you've ever asked questions like these:

  • What if Dracula was written entirely from the perspective of Mina Harker?
  • What if Cleopatra traveled to the 1980s to start a fashion magazine?
  • What if Alice returned to Wonderland as a young woman to rule as the new Queen of Hearts?
  • What if Homer's Odyssey was a pulpy science-fantasy adventure on Mars?
  • What if Sherlock Holmes's investigation into a murder revealed that Medusa was the culprit—and that he fell in love with her?

At the end of this course, you'll apply what you've learned to write a 3,000-word short story (or a 3,000-word excerpt from a potentially longer story) based on an existing public domain work.

THIS COURSE IS A PART OF STORYTELLING COLLECTIVE'S LITERARY ARTS & CREATIVE PRODUCTIVITY WORKSHOP

What is the "public domain"?

Stories in the public domain are works that are not protected by copyright. Writers can publish, sell, and profit from adaptations of these works without getting permission from someone else. Embracing public domain works is a huge opportunity for storytellers of all mediums!

Why explore public domain work for your own storytelling?

This course is designed to...

  • Give you an overview of public domain laws and help you find copyright-free works

  • Guide you in brainstorming ideas for ways to adapt, expand on, or reimagine your chosen public domain work

  • Teach you techniques for putting your own spin on a public domain work while honoring the spirit of the original story

  • Help you build the confidence to indie publish your stories

Register for this program

Pay a one-time fee or two monthly installments.

This is a self-paced, activity-based course

Here's a brief overview of the curriculum:

    1. Welcome to Adapting, Expanding, and Reimagining Public Domain Stories!

    2. About the Instructor

    3. Get to Know the Storytelling Collective

      FREE PREVIEW

    1. Lesson 1. What is Public Domain?

    2. Lesson 1. Exercise

    1. Lesson 2. Prequels and Sequels

    2. Lesson 2. Exercise 1

    3. Lesson 2. Exercise 2

    1. Lesson 3. Retellings

    2. Lesson 3. Exercise 1

    3. Lesson 3. Exercise 2

    4. Lesson 3. Exercise 3

    1. Lesson 4. Reimaginings

    2. Lesson 4. Exercise 1

    3. Lesson 4. Exercise 2

    4. Lesson 4. Exercise 3

    5. Lesson 4. Exercise 4

    1. Lesson 5. Crossovers

    2. Lesson 5. Exercise 1

    3. Lesson 5. Exercise 2

    4. Lesson 5. Exercise 3

About this course

  • $99.00
  • 5 Lessons
  • Project Activities
  • Worksheets

Plus, your registration includes:

  • Help and support from your instructor

  • Access to a private Discord channel

  • Indefinite access to the course and any future course updates

  • Support, encouragement, and accountability from the StoCo community

About the Instructor

Sersa Victory

Sersa Victory is a game designer and writer specializing in deathtrap dungeons for TTRPGs. He has published several top-selling adventures, including the ENnie Award-winning Shrine of the Jaguar Princess for the Shadowdark RPG. His other recent work includes the successfully crowdfunded tournament module Temple of the Green Devil, Crater of the Flaying Star for Kobold Press, and Dungeon Design Essentials: Traps for Storytelling Collective. His fiction has been published by DMR Books, Savage Realms Monthly, Scribemind Books, The Harrow, and others. In 2012, Chris Perkins and the D&D community voted him Apprentice of Acererak, the undead architect of the infamous Tomb of Horrors.

Register for this program

Pay a one-time fee or two monthly installments.

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